Fencing posts



A. BRAMLEY FENCING POSTS May 10, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 24, 1963 ATTORNEY} May 10, 1966 A. BRAMLEY 3, 5

FENCING POSTS Filed June 24, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A. BRAMLEY FENCING POSTS May 10, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 24, 19s;

mum/729R A TTORNEZ 3,250,517 FENCING POSTS Anthony Branrley, Gosford House, Kidlington, England Filed June 24, 1963, SenNo. 290,093 Claims priority, application Great Britain, June 27, 1962, 24,739/ 62 3 Claims. (Cl. 256-40) The present invention relates to fencing posts and more particularly to posts for use in the assembly of electrified fencing such as is employed on farms to retain livestock.

It is known to use in the construction of such fencing metal posts having at one end an open loop or pig tail, the surface of which is covered with electrically insulating material and by which a wire can be supported.

It has now been found that if an electrified fence is constructed from posts which are resiliently flexible by comparison with such known posts, the fence can survive trampling by a single excited animal and continue to be effective in retaining other animals.

According to the present invention a fencing post consists of a resiliently flexible rod, one end of which is provided with an open loop or pig tail to serve as an electrical insulator, a rigid spike being secured to the other end of the rod for insertion into the ground.

In the preferred construction, the portion of the loop nearest the straight portion of the rod is offset in the form of a swan-neck whereby the loop as a whole is disposed substantially centrally over the straight portion of the rod.

The rod and loop are preferably formed from a single length of resilient synthetic resin tubing, which can conveniently be produced by extrusion. Alternatively, the loop can be moulded independently and subsequently be attached to the top of a tubular rod, for example by the erector of a fence.

Posts of the preferred construction not only have the desired degree of flexibility but are much lighter in weight than the known metal posts. The preferred disposition of the loop is particularly advantageous since it ensures that the weight of a fencing wire lying in the loop is borne at a point on the vertical axis of the post, and in the absence of external influence does not tend to bend the flexible post to one side or the other.

To obtain the advantage of recovery of the fence when trampled on by an animal, the posts must be securely fixed in the ground. In soft or broken ground the security of fixing can be enhanced by the use of a base provided with a socket for receiving the lower end of the rod and an aperture for the passage of the spike, the base engaging the ground to lend support to the rod, being either horizontal and extending over the surface of the ground or vertical and inserted in the ground.

The invention also provides an inserter or tool for use in forcing the post into the ground, the inserted comprising a rigid shaft provided with means for engaging a post according to the invention, for example at the end of the rod adjacent to the spike, and a member to which hand or foot pressure can be applied to force the spike of the post into the ground. In view of the flexible nature of the posts according to the invention the inserter is of great value in erecting fencing on hard ground, since it avoids the necessity for the erector to bend over to grip the posts near their lower ends.

Fencing posts and inserters embodying the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are two views of a post according to the invention taken at right angles to one another,

FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views of two posts and bases embodying the invention;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of an alternative form of post;

ited States Patent ice FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section of an inserter according to the invention for use with the post shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a section of an alternative form of inserter;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are respectively a side. elevation and cross-section of a further inserter according to the invention, the section being taken along the line 99 in FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a view of a post according to the invention adapted for insertion by the inserter shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

The post shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 consists of a hollow rod 10 constituted by a length of extruded, thick-walled tubing of polyvinyl chloride, the wall of the tubing being of sufficient thickness to confer adequate stiffness on the finished post, without robbing itof the necessary flexibility.

The upper end of the rod 10 is formed into an open loop or pig tail 11, the portion 12 of the loop adjacent to the remainder of the rod being offset, and curving back from the line of the rod in the form of a swan-neck to allow the loop to be disposed 'more or less centrally over the straight portion of the rod.

The loop can conveniently be produced by warming the end of a cut length of the tubing, bending it into the desired shape and allowing it to cool and harden in that shape.

At the lower end of the rod 10 a long spike 13 of spring steel is inserted, by means of which the post may be stuck into the ground.

The construction shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be varied in a number of ways. For example, the rod may be solid instead of hollow. The spike can be secured in the end of the rod by a variety of means, for example by being screwed into the end of the rod or keyed therein by undercuts in the material of the spike.

F1. 3 shows a'post 14 according to the invention, the lower end of which is engaged in the base 15. The base consists of a metal plate 16 of triangular elevation, the two lower edges of which are sharpened, formed with a central cylindrical socket 19, which snugly accommodates the lower end of the post, the bottom of the socket being closed save for a bore 17 to permit the passage of the spike 18 of the post. When the post is erected in soft ground, the base plate can be thrust into the ground, for example by pressure from the feet.

FIG. 4 shows a post 20 according to the invention, the lower end of which is received by a cylindrical socket 21 of the base 22, the bottom of the socket having an aperture for the passage of the spike 23 of the post. Four arms 24 extend horizontally from the socket and, resting on the surface of the ground, assist in maintaining the post upright when erected in soft or broken ground. The horizontal type of base can be of other forms, for example a disc provided at its centre with the necessary apertured socket.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative form of post in which an extruded tubular rod 26 of polyvinyl chloride has a rigid steel spike 27 secured in oneend, the other end 28 of the rod being slightly tapered. The pig tail loop head 29 is an integral moulding having a socket 30 which can be forced tightly on the tapered end 28 of the rod. The loop itself has the offset conformation described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The inserter shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 can be used with the post shown in FIG. 5. That shown in FIG. 6 consists of a rigid tubular steel shaft 32 having an internal diameter providing a loose fit for the rod 26 of the post, and being of approximately the same length as the post. One end 33 of the tubular shaft is closed, while the other is open and provided with a tread in the form of a steel bracket 34 welded to the outside of the shaft. The inserter shown in FIG. 7 likewise consists principally of a rigid, steel tubular shaft 36 of similar dimensions to the shaft 32 in FIG. 6. The upper end of the shaft is, however, open and the lower end is provided with a thrustactuated chuck 37 comprising a frusto-conical socket 38 joined to the lower end of the shaft proper and wedge elements 39 retained loosely within the socket. A bracket tread 40 is welded to the outside of the shaft at its lower end.

When a fence is to be erected using posts of the form shown in FIG. 5, the inserter shown in FIG. 6 can be employed by slipping the rod 26, less the pig tail head 9 29, into the shaft 32 leaving the spike 27 protruding from the lower end of the shaft. The point of the spike is then placed on the ground and the post driven home by pressure of the foot on the tread 34. The inserter is then removed and the head 29 pressed on to the top of the rod 26. Alternatively, the inserter shown in FIG. 7 can be employed by sliding the rod 26, again less the head 29, into the shaft 36 and chuck 37, the spike remaining below the chuck. Pressure of the shaft towards the spike, ultimately by means of the erectors foot on the tread 40, causes the chuck to grip the lower end of the rod 26 and so force the spike into the ground. Again, the inserter is removed and the head 29 put in place.

The inserter shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be used in conjunction with posts formed from a single length of extruded rod or tubing, provided that the form of the posts is modified to adapt them to cooperate with the inserter. The inserter consists of a rigid shaft 42 of open semicircular or other channel section, the upper end of which is formed into a hook 43 of the same curvature as the pigtail loops on the appropriate posts. The dimensions of the shaft correspond to those of the posts. To the lower end of the shaft 42 is fixed a disc or plate 44 the plate having a keyhole slot 45 to cooperate with the lower portion of the post in the manner to be described. A tread 41 is also secured to the lower portion of-the shaft.

The appropriate form of post is shown in FIG. and has a rod 46 with an integral pig-tail loop 47 and a spike 48, a groove or cutaway'portion 49 being formed near the lower end of the rod, with a portion 50 of full diameter therebelow. The diameter of the grooved portion is such that it is a sliding fit in the narrow region of the keyhole slot 45 in the plate 44 of the inserter. The enlarged circular region of the slot 45 loosely fits the full diameter of the rod 46. When the post is to be erected with the help of the inserter, it is slid spike first through the enlarged circular region of the keyhole slot in the plate 44 until the rod 46 lies within the channelled shaft 42 and the loop 47 lies within the hook ,43 where they can be gripped simultaneously by the hand of the erector. In this disposition, the lowermost portion 50 of the rod is received by the enlarged region of the slot 45, so locating the lower end of the post. The post is then driven into the ground by pressure exerted on the tread 41, transmitted to the loop 47 by the shaft 42 and hook 43. The inserter is then removed by raising it slightly and sliding the plate 44 free of the end of the post, the grooved portion 49 passing through the narrow region of the keyhole slot 45. It is an additional advantage of the conformationof loop shown in FIG. 10, which is the same as that described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, that pressure exerted by the hook 43 of the inserter is exerted down the axis of the rod with the minimum tendency for the rod to bow. If desired, a spring clip may be provided on the upper part of the shaft 42 of the inserter to retain the post in close proximity to the shaft during fitting and use of the inserter.

It is found that not only are the fencing posts according to the invention easy to produce and erect, and effective against the trampling of an excited animal, but their resilience also serves to discourage animals from rubbing themselves against them. Moreover, when the rod is wholly formed of a synthetic resin such as polyvinyl chloride, breakdown of electrical insulation between the earth and a wire supported by the loop does not occur even under severe conditions of heavy dew. It has not been found possible to achieve this result with any other combination of metal and synthetic resin, or of metal and porcelain.

I claim:

1. A fencing post for electrified fencing comprising: a resiliently flexible rod comprised of a length of extruded tubing of electrically insulating synthetic resin; an open loop element of pig-tail conformation composed of electrically insulating synthetic resin and extending from and beyond one end of said length of tubing, the portion of said loop element adjoining said rod being offset from the line of said rod, and the loop as a whole being disposed substantially centrally over the end of said rod in a plane containing said rod; and a rigid metal spike for insertion into the ground inserted and fixedly retained in the other end of said length of tubing.

2. A fencing post according .to claim 1 in which said loop element is moulded and adapted to be mounted on said one end of the rod.

3. A fencing post according to claim 1, including a base formed with a socket therein receiving said other end' of the rod and an aperture extending therethrough from said socket accommodating said spike, said spike projecting from said base and said base being adapted to engage the ground to assist in supporting the post when said spike is driven into the ground.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,130,089 3/1915 Krolikowski 189-23 1,569,857 1/1926 Farb 173132 1,632,965 6/1927 Hays 18928 1,646,039 10/ 1927 Murton 173126 2,033,227 3/1936 Brown 189-23 2,147,829 2/1939 Daniels 173126 2,629,985 3/1953 McDowell -19 2,677,529 5/1954 Eide et a1. 256-10 2,821,365 1/1958 Lach 25610 2,899,487 8/1959 Drake 174170 3,001,765 9/1961 Shobert 25610 3,093,363 6/1963 Bohon H. 25624 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,150,992 1/1958 France. 1,203,482 1/1960 France. 1,123,847 9/1956 France.

458,563 12/1936 Great Britain.

707,526 4/ 1954 Great Britain.

815,755 7/ 1959 Great Britain.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. BENJAMIN BENDETT, Examiner. 

1. A FENCING POST FOR ELECTRIFIED FENCING COMPRISING: A RESILIENTLY FLEXIBLE ROD COMPRISED OF A LENGTH OF EXTRUDED TUBING OF ELECTRICALLY INSULATING SYNTHETIC RESIN; AN OPEN LOOP ELEMENT OF PIG-TAIL CONFORMATION COMPOSED OF ELECTRICALLY INSULATING SYNTHETIC RESIN AND EXTENDING FROM AND BEYOND ONE END OF SAID LENGTH OF TUBING, THE PORTION OF SAID LOOP ELEMENT ADJOINING SAID ROD BEING OFFSET FROM 